Going through Google news I found an article about how Canada ranks around the world in terms of air quality. (You can read it here.) This spiked my curiosity for two reasons; I am happy for Canada but want to know more about it.

When I moved here to the UK I spent the first couple of days in London. I found that my asthma (which never usually bothers me) kicked in and I developed a slight cough and finally, when I blew my nose, my snot was grey or black (nice eh?). I decided to take a closer look at the medical side of air pollution. I found out it affects young children and elderly people more severely but can hurt everyone in the short term and long term. Short term problems could be irritation to the eyes, ears and nose or could even develop into bronchitis or pneumonia. Long term effects could be as severe as lung cancer, heart disease and cause damage to the liver or brain.

Smog in LA, California

How can we reduce air pollution? Click here for a list of 50 ways to improve air quality. The following are some I wanted to highlight from the list:

– Use public transportation

– Walk

– Don’t use aerosol cans

– Use latex paints and not spray paints

– If you do have to drive, keep it in great working condition (leaky air conditioners emit the greatest amount of CFCs, having full air in your tires, cleaning your air filter and getting a tune up can increase gas mileage)

Wouldn't you rather breathe this air? - Yorkshire, England

This list will not only help air quality but are in general rules we should live by to keep the environment green.